Season's blooming plants start to show off

Plant: Some of the June bloomers are showcase plants and deserve
a little extra care for what they give us every year. Just remember
to place them in your garden where they will thrive and where you
will not curse the leaf and bloom drop, or

The trees, shrubs and bedding plants that show off in June are
too numerous to list. Check your local library for the Asakawas'
"California Gardener's Guide," a great reference book for planning
garden color. Another great guide to each month is Pat Welsh's
"Southern California Gardening."

Maintain: Clean up, deadhead and cut back perennials that have
bloomed, then fertilize to encourage more flowers. Deeply water
your fruit trees to keep the soil moist but not soggy throughout
June and July. Thin developing fruit to

encourage a better crop and less drain on the tree. For roses,
be diligent in your spraying, fertilizing and watering schedule for
continued bloom enjoyment. When cutting rose stems for
arrangements, learn the best way to cut and where to cut to
encourage future branching and blooms. Fertilize everything that is
actively growing with the correct amount needed.

Guidelines should be on the bag. Do not fertilize native
plants.

Uninvited Guests: Check the garden for spider mites, aphids,
thrips, whitefly and all that creeps and crawls. Slugs and snails
are easy to bait, but be careful around pets and children. Control
worms and caterpillars with Bt. If you have been spraying roses and
flowers regularly, and baiting for ants, then the aphids are under
control. Check for scale on the fruit trees and ornamentals.

The true culprits this month are whitefly and thrips. You must
control the ants, since these busy fellows will move the larvae
about and feed on the sticky honeydew that the whitefly produce.
Avoid planting tomatoes, cucumbers, mint, fuschia or hibiscus if
you are battling whitefly. These plants are whitefly magnets. Check
your neighbors' plants for harboring these pests and encourage them
to join the fight against whitefly.

Thrips are the silent killers of beautiful buds. Thrips distort
flowers and damage leaves. They are small, black and hard

to spot. Your garden most likely has them, but June is the month
they go into hyperdrive.

To control, spray the ornamentals with a systemic insecticide
that lists thrips on the label. Thrips hide deep in the flower and
leaf buds. But remember, if you do this, you will most likely kill
off some beneficial insects also. So decide what is more important
and how much thrip damage is OK before you spray.

For edibles, or if you are growing without chemicals, try
insecticidal soap or oils specific for garden care.To keep the
birds away from developing fruit, cover now with mesh netting.

Water wisdom: We have been fooled by some overcast days and
cooler weather in May than we had last year. Check your water
schedule, remembering that June fruits and flowers need more water
to perform their magic. Water everything deeply into the root zone.
Check to see how far down the soil moisture goes by digging at
least 12 inches into the soil. The soil should be evenly moist but
not soggy. For trees, go down further, at least 18 inches, to see
what the roots are getting. Just because the surface soil is wet
doesn't mean the water is sinking to the roots. Find a way to get
the water where the plant roots need it.